Show Review: Kiven @ Los Globos

Local rockers celebrate debut album release

If you follow this here music blog with any sort of regularity, you know we’re pretty stoked on LA rock quartet Kiven right now. They were our guests on last week’s episode of the LA Music Blogcast, and they’re also our current Featured Artist, but the true test of any band is their live show, and Wednesday night Kiven delivered a memorable performance to a packed house at Los Globos in Silver Lake.

When I saw a single empty table awaiting me upon entering the venue, I quickly snatched it up, but I should have known better than to think I could sit through Kiven’s set. Their music is the kind that goes beyond head-bobbing to upper body-bobbing, with everything from the waist up moving back and forth with the heavy beat. Before the vocals even kicked in on the first song, I had already bid my table adieu and woven my way through the crowd to the front of the venue.

With a set comprised entirely of tracks off their self-titled debut, out this Tuesday, the group delivered their trademark rock-meets-post-hardcore style replete with technically precise solos from guitarist Danny Schnair and propulsive basslines from Matt Cohen, particularly on album highlight “In The Fire.” Frontman Tyler Demorest’s ethereal vocals floated above the at times cacophonous music, and by the time drummer Jake Reed kicked off set closer “I Can Take It” with militarily precise rolls on his snare, my appreciation for the group had reached a new level.

When the applause finally died down after the set, I turned away from the stage and was startled to find nearly every seat in the venue vacated in favor of the floor. Apparently I wasn’t the only one who couldn’t stay in my chair while Kiven was on stage, and I doubt future performances will be any less energizing. Definitely make it a point to see these guys while they’re still playing clubs.